Co-opportunity

New in the Cheese Department

2011-08-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

Some Like It Raw – New in the Cheese Department
By Kirsten Lindquist
Cheese, Wine and Specialty Manager

Cheese, glorious cheese! It is great grilled on a burger, mixed in with your favorite pasta or just sliced with a cracker. But many people have trouble digesting cheese, and it is the protein casein that is often the culprit. As a result, limiting the amount of cheese they eat is one answer. But raw cheese – made with raw milk – contains naturally occurring enzymes that help the body better digest these proteins. Moreover, cheese made with goat’s milk or sheep’s milk has lower levels of casein and many people find these cheeses even easier to digest.

Europeans have been making cheeses using raw milk for hundreds of years including the world renowned French Roquefort Blue and Morbier and the Spanish Manchegos. California cheese makers also make great raw cheeses as well and Co-opportunity provides a broad selection of all of these delicious cheeses.*

Young Manchego 3 month aged – Raw Sheep’s Milk (Spain)
Made exclusively from the milk of Manchega sheep, who graze on shrubs and grasses in the high plateau of the La Mancha region of Spain, raw-milk Manchego when it is young has a more buttery flavor than its aged sibling.

Aged Manchego 12 month aged – Raw Sheep’s Milk (Spain)
Made exclusively from the milk of Manchega sheep, who graze on shrubs and grasses in the high plateau of the La Mancha region of Spain, raw-milk Manchego has a hearty flavor and an intoxicating lingering, buttery finish. Dehesa contains less salt than most Manchegos, resulting in a more pronounced sheepiness and finely balanced character.

Roquefort Blue – Raw Sheep’s Milk (France)
Raw, Sheep’s milk cheese is used to make one of the oldest and best known cheeses in the world. Aged in limestone caves near the village of Roquefort, this creamy textured cheese has a piquant blue flavor and well-balanced saltiness.

Morbier – Raw Cows’ Milk (France)
Semi-soft in texture, the paste is springy and supple with a fruity and complex taste. The line of vegetable ash that runs through the middle originally separated the morning from the evening milk in the cheese making process.

Point Reyes Blue – Raw Cows’ Milk (California)
Made from raw milk produced by cows grazing on certified organic pastured hills overlooking Tomales Bay in Marin County, this is an exceptional farmstead cheese – crumbly and mellow with a salty, fresh blue flavor.

St. Pete’s Blue – Raw Cows’ Milk (Minnesota)
Aged 90 days in sandstone caves inoculated with Roquefort mold, this raw cows milk blue is tangy and piquant, great with pears and walnuts or in a creamy pasta sauce

Amablu Blue – Raw Cows’ Milk (Minnesota)
Aged 75 days in sandstone caves, this raw cows’ milk blue from Minnesota has a creamy mouth-feel and a not-too-piquant sharpness. The first blue cheeses made in the U.S., this is very similar to Gorgonzola.

Organic Pastures Cheddar – Raw Cows’ Milk (California)
This organic cheddar is made from raw milk from cows that graze on certified organic pastures. Located near Fresno, CA Organic pastures has been family owned and run since 1953, and is the first raw dairy to be certified organic in California.

Redwood Hills Feta – Raw Goats’ Milk (California)
This certified organic and humane dairy farm located in Sonoma County, Calif., has been family owned and operated since 1968. Redwood Hill Farm cheeses are made from 100% fresh goat milk, non-bioengineered vegetable enzymes, natural sea salt, and French imported cheese cultures. Handmade in small batches in the tradition of artisan cheese making, these Kosher-certified cheeses are a great addition to any meal!

Organic Valley – Raw Cows’ Milk (California)
Sharp Cheddar
Mild Cheddar
Jack

Greenbank (California)
Goat Cheddar – Raw Goats’ Milk
Sharp Cheddar – Raw Cows’ Milk

Alta Dena – Raw Cows’ Milk (California)
Sharp Cheddar
Pepper Jack

Landmark (California)
Goat Cheddar – Raw Goats’ Milk
Monterey Jack – Raw Cows’ Milk
Mild Cheddar – Raw Cows’ Milk
Pepper Jack – Raw Cows’ Milk
Smoked Mild Cheddar – Raw Cows’ Milk
Swiss – Raw Cows’ Milk

*Although there is much discussion lately about fears that raw milk products can carry pathogens, no raw dairy has had such pathogens detected in its products, as of 2009, according to Organic Pastures Raw Dairy.

2011-07-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

Rethink Rosé – The New Wine of Summer
By Kirsten Lindquist - Cheese, Wine and Specialty Manager

In case you hadn’t heard, Rosé wines are having a moment. Even the New York Times is talking about them!

Forget what you think you know about Rosés– sweet, cloying, or syrupy. Instead, winemakers around the world are rediscovering what French producers have always known – great red wines can make fantastic rosés. Crisp, dry, slightly fruity without the heaviness of red wine, rosés are the perfect chilled summer wine that go with everything from BBQ to antipasta salads and everything in between. The trick is finding a rosé made from your favorite red. Luckily, Co-opportunity has quite a selection, starting at $9.99 a bottle. You will find them chilling in our cold case, and a few are even on sale. So come get them while the weather is hot and the drinking is cool!

Frey Rosé, California $9.99
Made from a blend of red grapes grown in Mendocino, Frey’s rosé has aromas of fresh strawberries and wild roses with smooth, crisp raspberry flavors. Certified Organic, no sulfites added.

Marquis de Goulaine Rosé D’Anjou, France $9.99
French roses are best from the Loire Valley and Marquis de Goulaine is one of the best known. Rosé D’Anjou is the terroir designation and may contain a blend of red grapes, specific to each producer. Bright and refreshing, Marquis de Goulaine has notes of tropical fruits and subtle roses. Good acidity with a dry finish there are hints of sweetness without any residual sugar. Sustainably Grown.

Borsao Rosé, Spain $9.99
Made from Garnacha (aka Grenache), Borsao’s rosé made the New York Times’ top 10 rosés of the year, coming in at No. 5. A delicate pink color, Borsao has light fruit aromas with lingering flavors of cherries and earthy notes. Sustainably Grown.

Hoya de Cadenas Rosado, Spain $7.99
Made from 100% Bobal grapes – native to Utiel-Requena area of Valencia where these vineyards are found – Hoya’s Rosado has an intense red color with a strawberry bouquet. Fruity on the nose, characteristic of the Bobal variety and fruit forward on the palate, with a refreshing acidity. Its aromatic persistence allows the spirit of this wine to linger through the finish. Sustainably Grown

Cantele Rosato, Italy SALE $10.99
Made from Negromaro grapes from the Puglia region of Italy, Cantele’s Rosato is a deep ruby color with rose and red geranium on the nose and tastes of strawberries and cherries. Bright with crisp acidity and a smooth finish. Sustainably Grown.

Biokult Rosé Secco, Austria $15.99
Made from Pinot Noir grapes, Biokult allows for a small second fermentation adding some sparkle to this unique rosé and capping it with a champagne cork. Red berries on the nose and soft floral notes, bright and crisp this rosé is an easy sipper as an aperitif or with a light meal. Organic.

Crios Rosé of Malbec, Argentina $12.49
Crios is the brainchild of one of Argentina’s best winemakers and one of the few women master vintners, Susana Balbo. With 87 points from International Wine Cellar, Crios’ rosé is made from Malbec grapes with aromas of strawberries and a citrus element. Supple, fruity and surprisingly full-bodied for a rosé, it is well balanced with a dominant strawberry flavor. Sustainably Grown.

Store Makeover Updates

2011-06-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

By Bruce Palma, General Manager

Elvis Has Left the Building

Ladies and Gentlemen, the contractor’s trailer and dumpster have left the building! (Rumor has it, Elvis was in that trailer, but he left, too..) We are officially in the home stretch of the construction phase of our Co-op makeover. We’ll still be adding some final touches to the sales floor as well—but our primary focus will be on fine tuning our merchandising, adding new products, and working with our new equipment and shelving to make it as customer-friendly as possible.

What’s most exciting are all the new items and services we’re adding on a daily basis. (I’ve ended up eating lunch from the new salad bar and hot bar every day for the past several weeks.) And we’re rolling out our new fresh cut cheese program and demo counter as we speak. Check out the many new varieties of cheese we’re cutting and wrapping in-house now. (Self serve olives are coming soon).

We’re also installing new outdoor dining counters on both sides of the building, and we’re replacing the round table and stools with another counter with stools. And we’ll be polishing up our landscaping around the building.

Owner/Shopper Concerns
While we’ve had an overwhelming amount of positive feedback for the store makeover, we’ve also heard concerns from some of our owners and shoppers. I think it’s important to address a few of these concerns.

Prices
Some of you have wondered if prices have been increased to pay for the store makeover. I can assure you we have not raised any prices to cover these costs. We only raise prices when we receive increases from our vendors and distributors. We have many vendors, and each has a different wholesale cost structure depending on their size, product lines and other factors.

Our competitors also source from many of our primary vendors and distributors, so price increases are usually reflected in our competitor’s pricing as well. We’ve been in our current location for over 15 years and it was time to make some major capital improvements. This is a normal function of all retail businesses, and we planned the makeover to be financially successful without raising prices. Furthermore, we are committed to passing on as many vendor deals and discounts we can. I’m confident that you will find some amazing deals throughout our Co-op. (And don’t forget, we’re one independent store, as opposed to a giant global chain with huge buying power).

Food and food product prices have always been subject to conditions such as weather, fuel prices, commodity prices, availability and other factors—all of which cause prices to fluctuate. Some prices have been rising lately due to increased oil prices, bad weather (affecting produce and commodity prices), and vendor and distributor price increases. As for our produce prices, I am always amazed at the great prices I end up paying for fresh, local, organic produce in our Co-op.

Produce Department
Even though we’ve remodeled—and added a salad bar/hot bar and other services—it was never our intention to compromise our existing product offerings or to minimize our focus on providing simple, fresh, local, organic and nutritious food.

We are still 100% committed to offering the best and freshest local, organic produce we can find. The display cases, fixtures and layout may have changed (and we’re all learning the new layout), but we still carry all the produce we did in the “old” store. So, please ask one of our staff members if you can’t find something. As the seasons change, more seasonal produce items will become available.

We’re still learning how to best merchandise our produce department. If you see somewhat less product on the shelves than before, it’s simply because we want to maintain quality and freshness. And it’s easier to do with less shelf stock. We’re just bringing out produce as needed in smaller quantities—again, to ensure quality and freshness.

Parking
While we believe we excel in many areas, we’re fully aware of our parking lot limitations. But we still felt it was necessary to address our store interior and make changes. We are making every effort to have a parking lot attendant (sometimes two) on duty during peak hours (usually 11 am – 7 pm). We’re also researching the possibility of extending the parking spaces a few feet on the south side of the lot (where the shrubs used to be).

And now that the store makeover is almost complete, we will be focusing on creatively addressing some of our parking lot limitations.

Once again, I want to thank all of you for your support during these past few months. Our goal was to complete a store makeover without disrupting normal business as much as possible. I know the remodel has been a huge change for our Co-op, and we’re still working hard to iron out any kinks and make it as amazing and shopper-friendly as possible.

Introducing the New Co-op Logo!

2011-05-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

About This Design Direction
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Our store's makeover has brought us a lot of physical improvements. With so many updates taking place, it was only natural that our brand image also saw an update.

The last logo design occurred in the 90's and worked well for that time. But as we embark upon a new chapter in the Co-op's history, we believe that a new, fresh logo has to be part of the story. In the coming days and weeks, you'll notice our brand presence being updated on everything from our store sign and private-label vitamins, to business cards and reusable bags. Click here to view a video of the new sign going up.

About the Branding Firm (GEYRHALTER & COMPANY)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Geyrhalter & Company is a renowned local design firm with a history of creating award winning brands for countless clients. You might recognize their work with Evolution Juice, where they created the packaging and website for one of our bestselling vendors.

We have had a fantastic experience working with Geyrhalter & Company. They have been professional, responsive to our needs, and a true joy to work with.

About This Design Direction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The challenge was creating a brand identity that was professional, yet not corporate. Our aisles are stocked with items from small and independent vendors, many of whom don't have slick, professional packaging. Fortunately, we select vendors based on the quality of their products rather than their design aptitude. The Co-op is different, and our logo needed to convey that difference. This meant pushing the envelope a bit from a design standpoint.

The logo in its entirety feels full of life, maybe at times even busy, representing the market-life and its vendors, employees and shoppers/owners. It also comes a bit closer to an artwork than a traditional corporate logo, something that takes away from simplicity, but adds authenticity.
We have addressed the simplicity in the following ways:

1. The use of "CO-OP" in the logotype.
* This shorter "CO-OP" version gives us more brand unity in that it dovetails with the NCGA "CO-OP" branding found in our store.
* Incorporating "CO-OP" into the logo type is a nod to all the owners/shoppers that refer to us as the "CO-OP" instead of "Co-opportunity."

2. The addition of CO-OPPORTUNITY in the sub-line.
* We kept our name in an easily legible font, and changed the color to draw attention.

Put plainly, the rustic, simple (perhaps even basic) items in this logo make it feel very handmade, very honest. Furthermore, we have maintained the logo's simplicity by shortening our tag-line to "Natural Foods."

Throughout the years, we have heard from countless owners/shoppers that they drove by our store hundreds of times without realizing we sold food. The old logo and tagline weren't successfully conveying what was behind our walls. This lack of clarity regarding our storefront signage is the reasoning behind the shortened and simplified tagline. A commuter driving by our store will not miss "Natural Foods" and subsequently, won't be confused about what we sell.

Rooted in Our History
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To fully appreciate the logo, it helps to put it in the context of our Co-op. Co-opportunity grew organically, from its humble beginnings out of a Santa Monica garage in the 70's, to the thriving business it is today. This new mark is meant to maintain the organic, communal nature that defines the Co-op, while also nodding to the history of the logo by borrowing some elements from the last version (i.e. produce).

And when analyzing the logo, you will notice that the letters 'co-op' would not be there without all the items around it. You, the vendors and their items create Us.

Our Co-op is composed of many different elements, working together in unison, to make the store run successfully. To use an analogy, Co-opportunity is like a quilt where each individual piece, when it's interwoven with the other pieces, comes together to create a warm, inviting atmosphere.

This logo invites people in. It makes them peer closer to see how so many different pieces can come together to form "Co-opportunity," much like the store itself.

Basically, this logo is fun, dynamic, a little quirky, and rooted in history and community. Does that remind you of anything?

By Ricardo Chavira
marketing director

Makeover Updates 4/28/11

2011-04-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the “almost-complete” Co-opportunity makeover! My patented Store Makeover Completion Calculator ® says we’re about 91.6% done. We’re in the home stretch now, and will have a good portion of the store makeover done within the next few weeks. We’ll still be adding finishing touches and some more fixtures and equipment after that. But the department locations will be set and it should get a lot easier to find what you’re looking for!

Thanks to all of you for your support, valuable feedback and positive energy during this process. Our goal was to position ourselves for the long haul in our current location, while providing you with more choices and a more pleasant shopping experience—all while staying open.

As part of our complete makeover, we’re also refreshing some store visuals. Stay tuned for more news on the new look in the coming days.

Thanks!

Bruce

Japan's Co-ops Need Your Help

2011-03-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

The Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) is accepting donations to help Japan recover from the devastating earthquake and tsunami. Japan is home to a wide variety of cooperatives, many of which have been instrumental in supporting co-ops around the world. We have a chance to help them at their time of greatest need.

If you would like to make a contribution to the CDF and assist cooperatives throughout the affected area recover from this disaster, you can do so through any of the following methods:

1. At our cash registers, simply tell the cashier that you would like to make a donation to the CDF’s Japanese recovery effort.
2. Visit cdf.coop and use the Google Checkout Cart on the right-hand column.
3. Send a check to the Cooperative Development Foundation at 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 800, Arlington, VA 22202 (please make sure to note that it is for Tsunami Recovery in Japan.)

100% of your donations—which are completely tax-deductible—will go towards the recovery!

It’s obviously too early to know how severe the impact will be on cooperatives, but it’s important to be ready to contribute as early as possible. As the CDF has done in the past, their recovery funds will be directed to co-op recovery, not immediate disaster relief.

The CDF doesn’t compete with the Unicefs of the world, rather they are focused on the recovery after those fine organizations have gone in to deal with the immediate relief requirements.

We thank you for your support and cooperation during these difficult times.

Calling All Co-op Owners!

2011-03-04T17:20:00.000-08:00

We need your help. We are planning a series of ads (print and online) that focus on you, our owners. The theme of the ads is “It’s My Co-opportunity.” The theme plays on the fact that it’s your co-op (we are community owned) and it’s your opportunity to be a part of like-minded individuals dedicated to living well.

With that in mind, we ask that you please email marketing@coopportunity.com with the following:

• A picture of yourself
• In your own words, why you love the co-op

We aren’t placing any word limits on your response. It can be a sentence, or a page. We just want to understand what it is that you love about the co-op. Please note, we might not be able to feature every person who responds to our request. Thanks in advance for your help. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Makeover Updates 2/15/11

2011-02-15T16:40:00.000-08:00

Wow! Things are happening fast and furious around here. If you haven't already noticed, we're right in the middle of our "Extreme Co-op Makeover" and are working around the clock to finish sometime in April or May of this year.

Some things to be aware of:

* The two narrow grocery aisles will be wider (same width as the current wine/juice aisle) once the remodel is completed.

* All metal shelving will be finished with wood molding, giving them a much warmer look.

* Our produce department will be in front of the store (currently where bulk is located.) The bulk bins will be located in aisles parallel to the grocery aisles.

* We will have a self-serve salad bar, hot foods bar and soup bar.

* We'll have a cheese/olive department and a food demo counter.

* We'll be repainting the building exterior and adding new signage.

* We'll still be the same exciting, fun and intimate co-op we've always been-we'll just have some new furniture and a bunch of new products and services!

Our goal was to complete a full-store remodel while remaining open for business. And we appreciate your support, praise and feedback during the process.

As always, if you don't find what you're looking for, please ask!

Thanks!

Bruce

Wine – Demystified

2011-02-09T15:54:00.000-08:00

Why does choosing a wine seem intimidating and how can you get over this perceptual hurdle?

Once upon a time, wines primarily came from Europe—mostly France and Italy. The creation of specific wines was based on the blending mastery of winemakers at individual vineyards. Wine connoisseurs waxed poetic about certain vintages (the year a wine was bottled) and the “terroir” (the characteristics of the soil and how it influenced the taste of the wine) of one vineyard or region over another. It all sounds like a private club that only the very wealthy or those with lots of time on their hands can afford to enter.

But today’s wine offerings are a world away from once upon a time. Wine is grown and bottled all over the world, in any climate that will support it, including South and North America, Australia and New Zealand, as well as South Africa. More people than ever are drinking wine and enjoying it without having to learn the intricacies of vintage or terroir.

How is this possible?

For starters, most modern wine is meant to be consumed within 18-24 months after it is bottled. This means that vintage is less important because you really do not want to “cellar” wine to allow it to age. As a result, these “young” wines cost vintners less money to make and can be sold to the public at much lower prices.

Does this mean that only expensive wine is good? Absolutely not. Great tasting wines sell for less than $30 a bottle, with many selling for $15 or less. What wine critics consider a “good” or great wine is based upon its complexity of taste. The average drinker usually does not experience wine they way a critic does, noting nuances and different hints of this and that. But everyone knows when something tastes good and is a wine that they like to drink. It truly is all about personal preference.

Co-opportunity provides a wide range of selections from around the world. We strive to bring you great tasting wines from winemakers who are also concerned with how they grow their grapes and the environmental impact of their vineyards. How the land, the “terroir,” is treated directly affects the wine produced. Happily, a growing number of winemakers around the world are moving in this direction knowing that better environmental stewardship creates better terroir and great tasting wine. Over 60% of the wine we carry is from winemakers who have made a commitment to organic and sustainable wine making.

Our friendly and knowledgeable staff can help you find the wine that is right for you. Whether you need us to recommend wines that we have enjoyed, point out which wines are organic or sustainable, note which winemakers create vegan wines or those without additional sulfites, we are here to help. Of course, it ultimately all comes back to you and what you want to pour in your glass. Enjoying the world of wine is as simple as coupling it with a great meal or just spending time with friends and family.

By Kirsten Lindquist
Cheese, Wine and Speciality Manager

Co-opportunity’s Stance on GMOs

2011-02-03T12:25:00.000-08:00

Recent events, such as the USDA’s decision to completely deregulate Monsanto’s GE Alfalfa, have prompted many of our members to contact us with their concerns about genetically modified organisms (GMOs.) In an effort to provide as much information as possible on this important subject, we would like to fully articulate Co-opportunity’s stance on GMOs in our store.

We continually strive to offer you as many non GMO products as possible. Our vast selection of certified organic products, which by definition are free of GMOs, provides a plethora of GMO-free options. When making purchasing decisions, our preference is always for the certified organic products.

However, because crops aren't grown in plastic bubbles and their pollen gets blown around by the wind, it's increasingly difficult to know if non-organic products are GMO-free. In these instances, our first choice is to carry products with clear package labeling stating that the contents are “GMO Free” or “Non GMO”. When making your purchasing decisions, we recommend steering clear of processed foods, or foods that contain soy and/or corn if your goal is to avoid GMOs.

Thanks very much for your patience as we sort out this complicated issue and deal with the ramifications of the USDA’s decision. We appreciate your support and will do everything in our power to ensure you have the safest and healthiest choices possible.

USDA’s Recent Decision to Completely Deregulate Monsanto: A Major Blow for Organic Farmers

2011-01-31T13:52:00.000-08:00

Like most of you, we are extremely disappointed and disheartened by the USDA’s decision for complete deregulation of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa. We had hoped that the voices of the hundreds of thousands of consumers who commented on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement [EIS] would result in a different outcome. Nonetheless, we will continue to support better protections for organic farmers and ultimately, our owners.

We encourage you to contact the White House and state legislators with feedback on the USDA's decision. You can still have your voices heard. Click here to contact President Obama. You can also support the work of other grass roots organizations involved in this issue, such as Center for Food Safety, Food and Water Watch and the NCGA among others. However, we have also heard some calls for boycotting of organics in protest to the USDA's decision.

We cannot support this position for many reasons; chiefly that we simply do not have enough facts as to what parties were involved in this decision, and what their position was behind closed doors (click here for Organic Valley’s response, and click here for StonyField’s response.) Secondly, we can point to a glimmer of silver-lining—the USDA has committed to studying methods to prevent cross pollination and securing and preserving non-GE alfalfa seeds.

The message we would like to send our owners is that it is more important than ever to support the farmers and processors who bring us organics. It is only through continued growth and increased market power that we can have a greater impact in Washington. The USDA’s decision means that the work of organic farmers and others in the industry will be more challenging than ever. We want them to know that Co-opportunity and its owners will continue to work on their behalf. Now is the time for us to demonstrate our shared commitment to organic. Now is the time to support organic farmers.

For more perspective and resources on this decision, please find the links below:

USDA release - includes Q&A link and link to: USDA actions to support continued dialogue and constructive coexistence in U.S. agriculture.

Food and Water Watch Action Alert

Organic Trade Association

An Organic Valley farmer talks about GE Alfalfa

National Organic Coalition

Natural Supplements and Products Under Assault

2011-01-26T09:48:00.000-08:00

The start of the 112th Congress marks the beginning of renewed efforts to over-regulate natural supplements and products. For example, the ideas contained in the McCain bill, such as a pre-market approval requirement for dietary supplements, remain in play; and there are those, particularly in the Senate, who would revive the FTC powers proposal. Legislation involving categories of supplements like sports supplements and DHEA is another real possibility.

There are also the activities of Congressional committees. It was the Senate Aging Committee that asked the GAO to perform their investigation of the supplement industry. The report served as the centerpiece of a 2010 hearing, and follow-up hearings are always possible in 2011. We all need to stay vigilant to these threats.

What You Can Do Now

We must educate both new and returning members of Congress so that they better understand dietary supplements when they make decisions that impact us. The more your representatives and senators hear about the value of supplements from their constituents, the better.

If you would like to send an email to your elected officials, just go to the NPA's Action Alert page. You will find a letter you can send to your members of Congress to open the door of communication with them. If you wish, you may add a line or two about your involvement with natural products.

Thank you for your advocacy with Congress.

Water Machines Have Arrived!

2011-01-24T09:38:00.000-08:00

We are thrilled to announce that our new R/O water machines are now installed and fully functional. We apologize for the delay, but we believe the wait was worthwhile considering all the cool new features that are available to you. These include:

* Great-tasting, pure chilled water at half the price of single-use bottles
* Advanced purification and health safety features
* A bottle washer with a high pressure ozone cleaning system
* Dual UV disinfection technology
* Cash, coin and Credit/Debit card ready
* Click here for a video demo

Thank you for your patience throughout not only the wait for the new water machine, but for the makeover in general.

Remodel Updates

2011-01-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

In case you didn't notice, we've been busy working on our 2011 "Extreme Co-op Makeover." We're officially calling it a "makeover" and not a "remodel" since we're using this opportunity to transform our organization on many levels. And we use "extreme" in the most positive sense possible. We're extremely focused on being the best we can be on all levels.

We've reimagined our sales floor, store design, layout, product offerings and merchandising-and I'm positive the end result will be nothing short of amazing. We're already getting feedback from staff and customers about how the store feels larger and more spacious.

So far, we've installed new checkstands, and added two more registers. And we're currently finishing our grocery department makeover. The aisles are straightened out; we're tightening up our grocery merchandising and product selection, and remain focused on making it as easy to shop as possible. (Note: Two of the grocery aisles are narrower than normal. This is only temporary and part of the staged process. They'll be widened as the makeover progresses.) The metal shelving will also be finished with wood molding, giving them a warm, pleasing look. Our bulk herb and spice section is now much easier to shop as well.

We'll be moving through the store and transforming each department as the weeks progress. I encourage you all to visit the store on a regular basis to experience the makeover as it happens. It's exciting and fun to see the changes as they occur. And at the end of the day, these changes are meant to improve your experience with Co-opportunity.

Please don't hesitate to ask any of our staff for assistance with finding products. We're 100% focused on making your shopping experience as seamless as possible. (I think I've lost some weight running around helping customers these past few weeks-and I'm not complaining.)

Not only will we be giving the store a makeover, but in conjunction with our planned grand re-opening this spring, we'll also be rolling out a new website, online interactive newsletter, new member-owner materials, programs and more! We've had a lot of ideas floating around-and a lot of member-owner input as well-and we're ready to really take the whole Co-opportunity experience to the next level. Stay tuned for more information!

We also understand that there are a lot of changes happening, and things won't be exactly the way they were in the past; but I'm confident that our co-op will lose none of its intimacy and specialness-we're just evolving as all living entities do. And we're planning to become even more intimate and special.

I appreciate all the support and feedback we've received from you, our member-owners, during the process. I truly believe that when the makeover is done, our co-op will have noticeably changed for the better.

Thanks for your continued feedback and support!

Bruce

Action Alert: From The Cornucopia Institute

2010-04-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

Rescue Local/Organic Farming in the Food Safety Bill!

Urgent—Call your Senator Today

Next week, as early as Tuesday, April 13, the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on a sweeping overhaul of federal food safety law – S. 510. The House food safety bill passed last year (HR 2749) included several measures that threaten small-scale organic producers, including a registration fee of $500 and blanket application of complicated monitoring and traceability standards -- regardless of one's farm size.

There's no doubt that industrial agriculture needs better oversight. But, family-scale local and organic farms are probably the safest in the nation -- they are part of the solution, not part of the problem -- and need to be protected!

Now is your chance, as a supporter of sustainable family farming, to help fix these problems! Senator Tester (D-MT), a certified organic farmer himself, is proposing an amendment to S. 510 that would exempt small-scale farmers and food processors from the most burdensome regulations.

We need your help TODAY, please call your U.S. Senators in support of these proposals.

The vast majority of recent food safety scandals in the U.S. -- E. coli on fresh spinach, melamine in dairy products, Salmonella in peanut butter -- were all linked to industrial agribusiness practices, and these large-scale operations clearly warrant more federal food safety oversight and strict enforcement action. What is NOT needed is a "one-size-fits-all" approach that poses unfair costs and onerous reporting on local and organic farmers.

Safer, healthier food options provided by local, organic, and sustainable farmers should not be punished for their responsible work with expensive and complicated new rules. These rules may make industrialized food production safer, but offer no real food safety gains to consumers of local and organic foods. Small-scale operations are already subject to adequate regulation by local and state agencies. Smaller farm size inherently poses less risk (they are almost always owner-operated), and direct marketing also offers consumers better quality food with more transparency and accountability -- and easy traceability.

Taking Action is Easy:

Call your Senators today, and tell them that you support Senator Tester's amendment to S. 510.

To reach your state's Senators,

1. Search his/her phone number online: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

2. Or call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Sample Talking Points:

Specific talking points you can share with your Senators from Tester's proposed amendment to S. 510 include:

1) With respect to the hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls, add the following new section to Section 103:

(l) EXEMPTION FOR CERTAIN FACILITIES – This section shall not apply to a facility for a year if the average annual adjusted gross income of such facility for the previous three-year period was less than $500,000.

2) With respect to traceability, add the following new section to Section 204:

(f) EXEMPTION FOR CERTAIN FACILITIES – The traceback and recordkeeping requirements under this section shall not apply to a facility for a year if the adjusted gross income of such facility for the previous year was less than $500,000.

With respect to the produce standards, add the following new section to Section 105:

(g) EXCEPTION FOR DIRECT MARKET FARMS – This section shall not apply to farms whose annual value of sales of food products directly to consumers, hotels, restaurants, or institutions exceeds the annual value of sales of food products to all other buyers.

Thanks for your support of organic, local and sustainable farmers!

The full action alert can be viewed at: http://www.cornucopia.org/2010/04/action-alert-rescue-localorganic-farming-in-the-food-safety-bill/#more-2770

Also if you subscribe to our blog feed, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://coopportunity.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

Offshore Oil Drilling Community Forum

2010-03-11T15:24:00.000-08:00

The coast of California is now vulnerable to new off shore drilling. Environment California and Surfrider Foundation are holding a community meeting in Santa Monica on March 17 to talk about this threat and what we can do to protect our beaches.

The meeting is from 7-8 pm, at:

Santa Monica Library, Fairview Branch
2101 Ocean Park Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90405

To RSVP to the event go to: http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/action/oceans/la-forum?id4=ES

Success! New USDA Rules Establish Strong Organic Standards for Pasture and Livestock

2010-02-12T15:19:00.000-08:00

A big thank you to all of our members who took the time to write to the White House to express your concern, and to urge the President to support truly organic dairy farming practices. Thanks to your efforts organic dairy can continue with meaningful pasture and grazing rules that support the true ethics of organic farming.

From The Cornucopia Institute:
On behalf of the organic family farmers in this country I want to thank and recognize the co-op community. I can't think of a more important ally in this 10-year struggle that has resulted in the Obama administration setting up to crack down on the abuse from factory farms in organic dairy.

This is a big victory and I hope that you and your members will take pride in your important contributions,
Mark Kastel
Codirector
The Cornucopia Institute

Read the full Press Release here: http://www.cornucopia.org/2010/02/new-usda-rules-establish-strong-organic-standards-for-pasture-and-livestock/

Contact the White House - Don't Let Lobbyists Weaken New Organic Dairy Standards

2010-01-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

From the Cornucopia Institute:

Farmers and consumers concerned with the integrity of organic dairy farming need to contact the White House (IMMEDIATELY) and urge the President to support a strong pending standard governing organic livestock and dairy management practices.

The White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is nearing the end of its critical review of proposed new regulations clarifying the requirement that dairy cows and other ruminants consume a meaningful amount of feed from pasture and grazing. Powerful factory farm interests opposed to the rule - who want to continue to principally confine animals in feedlot style operations - have privately met with OMB officials and are seeking to weaken the new rule.

Click here to visit the Cornucopia Institute's website, find out how to contact the White House and read more: www.cornucopia.org

Update your address contest winners!

2010-01-21T13:49:00.001-08:00

Thanks to all the members who have updated their contact information either on-line or in-store! All of you we're entered into the UPDATE contest for a chance to win 1 of 10 $25 Co-op gift cards. Below are the names of the winners. If you haven't already, stop by the membership desk inside the store to pick up your gift card. Congratulations!

January 2010 UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS contest winners:
Maureen Redmond
Bob Thomas
Melvin Yee
Mark Hardy
Ellen Haden
Penny Jennings
Marlene Frantz
Lou Frederick
Monica Smirnoff Levin
Sachiko Kato

Tell the USDA You Care about GE Contamination of Organic Food!

2010-01-18T12:05:00.000-08:00

In 2006, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) sued the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its illegal approval of Monsanto's genetically engineered (GE) Roundup Ready alfalfa. The federal courts sided with CFS and banned GE alfalfa until the USDA fully analyzed the impacts of the plant on the environment, farmers, and the public in a rigorous analysis known as an environmental impact statement (or EIS). USDA released its draft EIS on December 14, 2009 and their preliminary determination is to once again deregulate GE alfalfa without any limitations or protections for farmers or the environment, claiming that there is no evidence that consumers care about GE contamination of organic foods! A 60-day comment period is open until February 16, 2010.

Please take the time to visit the Center for Food Safety's website to voice your opinion on genetically engineered foods.

Go here: http://ga3.org/campaign/alfalfaEIS

Sustainable Quality Awards

2009-12-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,
If you know of any company that you think should be recognized for being an awesome, sustainable organization, please take a few minutes to fax in your nominations for the upcoming 2010 Sustainable Quality Awards by completing the form here:

http://www.smsqa.com/smsqa/pdf/2010_SQA_Nomination_Form.pdf

Deadline Monday, December 21st

Since 1995, the Chamber of Commerce, City of Santa Monica, and Sustainable Works have honored local businesses and organizations that make extraordinary contributions by enhancing our economy, community and environment with the Sustainable Quality Award (SQA).

* 42 Business Greening Program participants have won an SQA or Excellence award in the last 8 years!

You can nominate any business or organization (including your own or even your favorite grocery store)! Requirements:
- Located in Santa Monica
- Santa Monica Chamber member if outside Santa Monica
- In operation for minimum 2 years

Fax in your SQA nominations to the Chamber of Commerce to 310-394-1868. For more information see www.smsqa.com

Alternative Holiday Ideas

2009-12-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

This year instead of getting caught in the retail juggernaut, consider alternative gifts for the special people in your life.

Animal Acres
One of our favorite local organizations is offering the opportunity to sponsor an animal at their sanctuary. Your gift recipient will receive a beautiful holiday card from you, adoption certificate and photo with educational rescue story, and an annual membership to Animal Acres which includes FREE Sunday tours for a year. You can adopt online at: www.animalacres.org or call: 661-269-5404.

Buy Fair Trade gifts and decorations, not only does it support the producer, but many times they are more environmentally sustainable, such as fair trade coffee, chocolates and teas.

Consider gifting a present that will promote sustainability, such as a reusable lunch container with a utensil set.

Make, bake or assemble the ingredients for one of your culinary specialties. If you can, use a reusable container and include the recipe, so if they love it they can make it again.

Other Holiday Ideas to Consider

RENT a Living Tree For The Holidays This Year
Where: Sunday Farmer's Market at 2640 Main St, Santa Monica
Time: 9:30am-1pm
When: Every Sunday through December 20, 2009
The trees come live, in a pot with their roots, and growing. This means they can deliver the tree to you and pick-up after the holidays. The tree then goes back to their nursery, where it continues growing until next year. Check out their website for more info www.livingchristmas.com.

Try to avoid regular wrapping paper and ribbons which are not recyclable, instead use a Japanese trick and wrap your present in a bit of cloth, or use a cute dishtowel.

Agree with a friend to take each other off the gift list. Friends don't want to add to each others holiday stress, so agree NOT to exchange gifts but schedule a relaxing afternoon together instead.

What about you, have you got any holiday tips to share?

Fiji Water

2009-11-24T14:05:00.000-08:00

It has come to our attention that there are some serious issues regarding Fiji Water. In addition to the environmental concerns about bottled water in general, Anne Lenzer from Mother Jones Magazine, wrote an excellent article about Fiji Water in the September-October 2009 issue. She gives an in-depth description about Fiji Water as a company, past and present, their impact on the environment, and the political and economic conditions in Fiji. Go to www.motherjones.com/fijiwater and you can read the entire article. You can also read the response from Fiji Water to the article as well as the response from Mother Jones here: http://blog.fijigreen.com/2009/08/fiji-water-responds-to-mother-jones-article/.

As much as we might agree with the findings in the Mother Jones article, we feel it's important to share information and educate our members/shoppers about the issues raised and let you vote with your dollars. So at this time we aren't discontinuing carrying Fiji Water, but we won't feature it as we have been. Instead of a big case stack, you'll find it on the bottom shelf in the bottled water section.

If you have any questions or concerns, we would like to hear from you. You can contact Robin Enwright our Product Quality and Education Director at robin@coopportunity.com.

Bottom line - try not to buy bottled water. For your convenience, we carry a large selection of reusable water bottles for all your needs. They're available in stainless steel or BPA Free Plastic, with screw-on caps or sports caps and in different shapes and sizes, including lunch box bottles and kid's bottles. Our newest stainless steel bottle is from EcoUsable and features an "Ionic-Adsorption Micro-Filtration System" inside the bottle. According to the company, this filtration system "removes 99.99% of pollutants that may be found in drinking water for up to 100 gallons of great tasting filtered water." That's approximately 12 months of use. It's easy to break the bottled water habit with all these choices of reusable water bottles.

Food Safety Bill--A threat to small/organic farms--your voice is needed

2009-11-18T11:22:00.000-08:00

From the Cornucopia Institute:
Action Alert

Senate Bill 510: FDA Food Safety Modernization Act

Tell the Senate committee not to threaten quality organic and local food production

Act now! Contact your senator Today!
Our food safety system is broken. Industrialized food production gives rise to serious food safety problems, and our government's ability to regulate corporate agribusiness must be strengthened -- without harming small-scale and organic family farmers.

Bills in Congress propose to give more authority to the Food and Drug Administration to regulate for food safety, inspect food processing facilities, and order mandatory recalls. The House passed its own food safety bill in July. The Senate's bill is in committee and scheduled for a mark-up (committee vote) today

Allowing the FDA to crack down on corporate food producers that threaten our citizenry's health is a step in the right direction -- as long as legislation contains protections for small-scale, organic and local food systems. Small farms could be forced out of business by increasing costs for record-keeping, testing and other measures they will not be able to comply with. These are our country's safest farms -- part of the solution, not part of the problem!

Now is the time to contact Senate committee members (especially if one is from your state) that will make changes to the bill on November 18. Our message is: Senate Bill 510 must contain protections for small-scale and organic family farms.

Please call as many committee members as you have time for!
Take Action Today – Call Senate Committee Members
See the list below for Senators on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Please call or fax their office, ask to speak with the aide in charge of food safety issues, and share the concerns of the small-scale and organic farming community with them.

List of Senate HELP Committee Members

Senator Phone
Democrats
Tom Harkin (IA) - 202-224-3254
Chris Dodd (CT) - 202-224-2823
Barbara Mikulski (MD) - 202-224-4654
Jeff Bingaman (NM) - 202-224-5521
Patty Murray (WA) - 202-224-2621
Jack Reed (RI) - 202-224-4642
Bernie Sanders (VT) - 202-224-5141
Sherrod Brown (OH) - 202-224-2315
Bob Casey (PA) - 202-224-6324
Kay Hagan (NC) - 202-224-6342
Jeff Merkley (OR) - 202-224-3753
Al Franken (MN) - 202-224-5641
Michael Bennet (CO) - 202-224-5852

Republicans
Mike Enzi (WY) - 202-224-3424
Judd Gregg (NH) - 202-224-3324
Lamar Alexander (TN) - 202-224-4944
Richard Burr (NC) - 202-224-3154
Johnny Isakson (GA) - 202-224-3643
Orrin Hatch (UT) - 202-224-5251
Pat Roberts (KS) - 202-224-4774
Tom Coburn (OK) - 202-224-5754
Lisa Murkowski (AK) - 202-224-6665

Help the Center for Food Safety

2009-11-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

If you're never heard of them before, the Center for Food Safety is an organization that works to protect public health and the environment by promoting organic and sustainable food production practices and lobbying against harmful technologies and companies.

They do a lot of good work and we as a co-op rely on them to alert us to issues and news. They are in the middle of their fall donation funds drive, and they have a short but interesting video of Vandana Shiva, an amazing speaker, on their donation page. Its worth checking out even if you don't wish to donate. Also if food safety is something you're interested in its worth signing up for their e-mail updates which is free.

Check it out (takes you to another website) https://secure.ga3.org/03/FFF_Shiva!

Tell USDA: Keep Nanotech OUT of Organic!

2009-10-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

From the the Center for Food Safety's True Food Network website:

USDA's National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is voting on whether nanotechnology should be banned from use in Organic products. Thanks to your overwhelming outcry in May 2009 the Board's initial recommendation is to keep nanotech out of organic entirely. Now, we need your help again to make sure USDA holds the line! The critical vote on the Board's final recommendation will be held in Washington D.C. on Nov 3.

Nanotechnology is contrary to Organic Principles and could further entrench industrial/chemical agriculture and industrial food as our dominant paradigm, to the detriment of public health and the environment. Tell NOSB to ensure the integrity of Organic on this issue by voting that USDA ban nanotechnology as an excluded method.

Read more and take action now (takes you to True Food Network website)

Proposed Federal Rules Could Competitively Injure Small, Local and Organic Fresh Market Produce Growers

2009-09-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

From the Cornucopia Institute:

USDA Schedules Public Hearings to Obtain Citizens' Concerns and Suggestions

The "Leafy Green Marketing Agreement," which requires producers to follow a set of rules (metrics) in the name of food safety, has already shown to be injurious for the environment, biodiversity, and organic growers in California. The USDA is now considering a similar "Leafy Green Marketing Agreement" that would extend beyond California and Arizona to cover the entire United States-let's help make this rule work for growers of all sizes!

The USDA has scheduled a series of hearing sessions, around the country, inviting you to this perfect opportunity to share your concerns and suggestions.

Click here to read the full article and the schedule.

Upcoming Events

2009-09-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

There are a couple of upcoming events that benefit two local organizations that we partner with.

The first one is a benefit for Sustainable Works:
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Writers Boot Camp @ Bergamot Station
2525 Michigan Avenue, Building I
Santa Monica, CA 90404
6pm - 11pm
Click here to purchase tickets

The second is for Heal the Bay which will feature the Santa Monica premier of Cirque du Soleil KOOZA
Friday, October 16, 2009
Click here to purchase tickets

Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food

2009-08-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

Most of us have seen this info before, but I find it personally gratifying that it these issues are becoming more mainstream. Hopefully this means that eventually America will change its ways.

Check out this TIME article Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food

-Mia

Block Party!

2009-08-23T09:47:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
In case you missed the 100 + announcements, TODAY is our 35th Anniversary Block Party and 5 hour sale.

1525 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA

Both are from 12pm - 5pm

Don't miss this once in a co-op's lifetime opportunity. See www.coopportunity.com for more info!

Co-opportunity is turning 35!

2009-08-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

Co-opportunity Block Party!
Sunday, Aug 23 12:00p to 5:00p
@ the Co-op

This year Co-opportunity turns 35, and we're having a Block Party to celebrate! Everyone welcome to come and enjoy free food, music, dancing, giveaways, prizes, kid's zone, and so much more co-op fun!

FREE event 8/23/09 - 12 noon till 5pm

@ the Co-op
1525 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA
310-451-8902
http://www.coopportunity.com

Paper or Plastic? Bring Your Own

2009-06-17T01:36:00.000-07:00

Here's my rant for the day: We should all bring our reusable bags on a regular basis when shopping for our groceries. There's no reason we can't keep our bags in our cars and use them when we shop. It might take time to create a habit, but it can be done. The oceans and landfills throughout the world are choked with the trash of a billion and one shopping trips. We can't keep going along this route. Eventually, we're going to hit a proverbial (or real) wall and end up with more trash than we know what to do with.

Single-use bags (paper or plastic) are so outdated, inefficient and wasteful that we--rumored to be the most intelligent species--should know better. Both require tremendous resources to create. Not only that, we are dropping so much plastic into the oceans, I'm afraid we're not going to have an ocean one day. Or if we do, it will be more like swimming in a saltwater Toys"R"Us.

Obviously it's not just plastic bags that are choking our oceans; it's all plastic. But I'm ranting about bags here, so we'll leave the discussion of other plastic for another time.

Need facts? Just Google "Pacific Gyre" or "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch" and watch the videos documenting our continual disregard of our planet's most precious resource. (Or see my previous post, Plastic Soup.) We've also got some good video links on our Environmental Sustainability page.

Paper bags are no better. They require a huge amount of resources for their production. A Washington Post article claimed that over 14 million trees are cut down annually to create paper bags.

I've just received an email from a longtime owner who's as frustrated as I am about the continual use of new paper and plastic bags. Sure, some are recycled, but that takes energy, time and money. Why not bring your own? Reuse over and over again. If you need trash bags for your kitchen, try using our Biobags. They're biodegradable, which means they'll break down in a landfill. We've got them in the paper and cleaning product section.

We have a bunch of great reusable bag options to choose from: 99 cent poly bags; Co-opportunity canvas bags; and Chico Bags are just some. Our One Bag at a Time poly bags (stocked at every register) are only 99 cents and they're from a company run by a longtime owner of our co-op.

It only takes a little practice; after that you'll be remembering your reusable bags for every shop. And the oceans and landfills will thank you.

So, here it is: Paper or Plastic?

Neither if we can help it.

Food, Inc..

2009-06-12T00:40:00.000-07:00

There's a new movie premiering today at the Nuart theater in West L.A. called Food, Inc. Featuring Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser and others, this flick should prove to be another enlightening installment in a series of films documenting the sad state of industrial agriculture, the livestock industry and food production in our country.

Rather than summarize the film myself, here's the blurb from the movie website:

"In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli--the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising--and often shocking truths--about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here."

----------------------
If you're unaware of what really goes on behind the scenes with the production of much of our food, then definitely go see this movie. While it may not be a contender for the next "Best Comedy" Oscar, it's crucial we stay informed. For it's only through knowledge that we can make the best choices regarding the health of our bodies and the health of our planet.

Food, Inc. is showing at the Nuart through next Thursday. This is a limited engagement. Check the theatre for exact showtimes.

Here's the Official Food, Inc. website:
www.foodincmovie.com

Frankenseeds & Beans

2009-06-08T00:28:00.000-07:00

The most fascinating thing about Monsanto is that they actually have the audacity to believe they are entitled to claim the world's seeds as their own. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I will direct your attention to several websites and videos at the end of this post.

Not only has Monsanto crafted frankenseeds (GMOs or "genetically modified organisms") based upon sound science fiction; but they are scouring the world attempting to slap patents on thousand-year-old seeds developed by indigenous farmers through years of trial and error. What will happen if all the seeds in the world are owned by one corporation? Well, that's a scenario straight out of a Hollywood scriptwriter's pen.

I first learned about Monsanto's audacity from the film, "The Future of Food," wherein said multinational monster of a corporation claimed that a Canadian farmer named Percy Schmeiser had infringed on their proprietary property. Briefly, some of Monsanto's GMO canola seeds had accidentally blown onto Schmeiser's organic canola fields. (A truck was driving by and lost some of its cargo.) The frankenseeds grew, threatening Schmeiser's organic certification. Lo and behold, Monsanto's agents had discovered the "infringement" and sued Schmeiser. After years of litigation (and much expense and heartache for Percy), Schmeiser finally won a favorable decision in 2008.

But the battle is certainly not over.

Everyday there's a push to create more genetically-modified crops. First it was soy, corn and canola. Now it's wheat. Third world countries are being forced to accept these GMO laden exports as well. It has become a constant battle between the European Union (and other countries) and the forces of "progress" who want the world to drink the GMO kool-aid.

Monsanto claims it is developing ways to cure the world's food shortage. With global population growing at a fantastic rate, Monsanto believes we'll run out of food. So they're riding in on a white horse of mutilated and manipulated life forms to save the day. Remember folks, this is the same child of free enterprise that brought us Agent Orange and DDT.

But these are different times. We need to forget all that nonsense. We need to realize Monsanto is in the business of providing food for the masses. No matter that they'll eventually own the ability to control the entire process.

Any company that creates a "terminator" seed which becomes useless after one harvest can't be all bad, huh?

We need to take a collective pause and realize we're tinkering with the very basis of life. This is audacity on a whole 'nother level, folks. Sometimes you have to leave well enough alone. Shooting fish genes into corn is not what I want to be remembered for when I kick the proverbial bucket. The tombstone will read:

"He Ruined the Genetic Makeup of the World's Corn."

You'll be happy to know that certified organic products must be GMO-free.

Now, please pass the organic tofu...

Vandana Shiva talks about the patent of seeds by Monsanto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah-ZeN_ghro

"The World According to Monsanto" Documentary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_OJcPKEYDE

Organic Consumers Association "Millions against Monsanto" Campaign

www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.cfm

Percy Schmeiser's Website

www.percyschmeiser.com/

Co-op to Go!

2009-06-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

Great news for all you co-op deli lovers. We've now got a whole new delicious bunch of grab'n'go goodies made right here, "in-house," as they say in the biz. It's our recently created "Co-op to Go!" line and we're adding new models weekly.

Here's just a partial listing: Daily fresh sandwiches of all persuasions (turkey, veggie, tuna, grilled chicken panini, grilled veggie panini, etc.). Sides of rice. Wraps. Whole meal plates. And more.

And there's more yet to come. Our research and development department is hard at work in a secret location creating new culinary delights for the line.

Stop by the deli and check the lower case in front of the counter and also the case on the side facing produce. Just look for the "Co-op to Go!" label.

No more waiting in line!

It's easy: Choose. Purchase. Devour. Enjoy. Wipe face.

Smile.

Homegrown, It's What's for Dinner

2009-06-03T00:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't grown much more than a potbelly during my time here on Earth, but after watching "Homegrown Revolution," the video documentary on the Dervaes Family, I'm committed to harvesting at least one full course meal myself before kicking the bucket.

Here's the plot: Father of three says no to GMOs and bug spray on his dinner, bucks the system, and transforms his 1/5 acre Pasadena plot into a self-sufficient food factory capable of producing up to 6,000 lbs of organic produce a year. Their definition of a local tomato is 40 feet from farm to table.

(I could do without the chickens, but I'll save that for my therapist.)

After watching this video, you will never look at a front lawn (or backyard) the same way again.

Can you imagine what would happen to commercial agribusiness, GMOs and the pesticide industry if everyone began growing their own food?

Here's the documentary:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCPEBM5ol0Q

Here's the Dervaes website:
www.pathtofreedom.com

Our Local Produce

2009-06-02T00:16:00.000-07:00

Here's some good news: We currently have over 30 fresh, delicious local organic produce items available in our produce department. (Our Meyer Lemons, grown just 12 miles away, wins the "Most Local" prize.) We're coming up on summer and the fields are pouring forth a rich bounty of succulent crops.

It is our policy to purchase the highest quality local organic produce available at any given time. Just check for "LOCAL" on our produce signs. Our Produce Manager, Inez Gobert, is continually on the lookout for tasty local items--from small, independent farmers when available. As the seasons change, certain items are not available in California, so we have to source from other regions. But if it's to be found close to the co-op, we'll do our best to stock it.

Come on in and partake of the harvest.

Local Organic Produce Currently In-Stock

Malibu 12 miles
Meyer Lemons

Sun Valley (Kenter Canyon) 15 miles
Clamshell Salads

Oxnard (Pure-Veg) 41 miles
Celery
Parsley

Riverside (The Grove) 62 miles
Navel Oranges

Santa Barbara (Givens Farms) 75 miles
Red Kale
Fennel
Green Chard

Goleta (Ebby's Farm) 84 miles
Black Kale

Bakersfield (Cal-Organics) 97 miles
Red Leaf Lettuce
Tomatoes
Bunched Carrots
Red Onions
Yellow Onions
White Onions
Bunched Beets
Bunched Carrots
Bok Choy
Green Leaf
Mustard Greens
Red Cabbage
Turnips
Loose Beets
Rutabaga

Thermal (Anthony's Vineyard) 168 miles
Green Grapes
Red Grapes

Santa Maria (Bonipak) 123 miles
Broccoli

Kingsburg (Brooks) 179 miles
Cherries

Kingsburg (Olson Farms) 179 miles
Peaches
White Peaches
Plouts

Be Informed

2009-05-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

I wanted to tell you about two highly informative websites dedicated to our food purity and safety.

One is the Organic Consumers Association:

www.organicconsumers.org

And the other is the Cornucopia Institute:

www.cornucopia.org

Both sites feature in-depth articles and studies on organic standards, the GMO controversy and a host of other issues directly relating to the food we eat. The information in both is highly researched and up-to-date.

They are two of the best sites I know of to get informed and take action. Both feature an assortment of campaigns (and electronic petitions) currently being waged against the trend toward weakening organic standards, the disappearance of small family-owned farms, genetically modified food proliferation and more.

I appreciate the immense dedication of the people involved in both organizations. They are working on the front lines to safeguard the future of our food, environment and small farmers.

If you're interested in any of the issues above, these sites are goldmines of information.

As Gandhi once said, "We need to be the change we want to see in the world."

The Co-op Bookstore

2009-05-27T00:47:00.000-07:00

Twenty-five years ago, I stopped into Mrs. Gooch's on Palms and Centinela with my mother to pick up some flowers. Browsing through the book section, I picked up a slim little orange volume from a spinner rack. It was called The Miracle of Fasting by Paul Bragg. (Yes, the Bragg of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.) The title was intriguing, so I bought the book. Simply put, The Miracle of Fasting is the reason I'm working at the co-op. For 20 years I had been eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) of burgers, fries, pizza, Hot Pockets and Cheerios. Within a week of reading Bragg I became a vegetarian and completely overhauled my diet. A few months later (to get closer to the bean sprouts) I applied at Co-opportunity. Two weeks later I had the gig and never left. Had it not been for that tiny little tome of healthy wisdom, I might never have fasted, cooked quinoa or become GM of Co-opportunity.

This is just a fancy introduction to the subject of this blog: Our book section. I believe we have one of the best book sections of any natural foods store in Los Angeles. Robin Enwright, our Product Quality and Education Director, has been tending to our bookstore for over 20 years. And she's grown quite a garden of words. She carefully chooses each selection from several independent book distributors she's used for years.

Across from the soaps in our bodycare section (and on the display table by the bread), you can find books on everything from aromatherapy to vegan cuisine and everything in between. Books on the environment & green living. Gluten-free diets. Women's and children's health. Natural beauty. Organic gardening. Composting. Animal rights. Homeopathy. Bach flowers. Cookbooks of various persuasions. A whole section on raw foods. And some giant reference books on natural remedies and healing.

One of these days I'm going to read the book on how to grow my breakfast on my windowsill.

Years ago we used to have a bunch more independent bookstores, used and new. Sadly, they're mostly all gone. We're committed to keeping our little bookstore alive and thriving. Those little volumes contribute to the health and well being of our community and our environment.

That is, as long as someone reads them.

Our Community Market

2009-05-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

This week's Big 10 Tuesday had me working the sales floor quite a lot and I'm just getting back to my desk and finding time to post. I have set my goal of posting daily and will meet that goal! So expect more consistency in the coming days and weeks.

Our "Big 10 Tuesday" this past Tuesday was a great success. We did record sales and had a record customer count. It was exciting working the floor, helping shoppers, directing traffic, stocking and facing shelves. If I had my way (and much less other GM tasks), I'd be down on the floor all the time. I love meeting and interacting with all the many different owners and shoppers that come through our doors. Some of you I've known since the old days when I used to have hair. That's how long it's been. Also the positive feedback from our owners this past Tuesday confirms to me that--even though our current primary business is a grocery store--we're more than that.

We are a true community. Sure, people are rushing in and doing their shopping. And we may not all know each other. But there are webs of connections running throughout our co-op. We were started by four people in our community and we grew year by year from the vision, dedication and support of many more people in our community. And here we are--from 1974 to 2009.

I shop at other stores in town and I never experience the feeling there as I do at our co-op. Sure, I work here and my perceptions might be skewed. But I say this sincerely. I see much richer and longer interactions between everyone in our store. This is our community market. People are not just "shopping" here. They're engaging with each other. Connections are made. Old friends are rediscovering each other. Entire families are being raised from the food we provide. I've known owners before they had kids and then watched their children grow from infants to college graduates. (For those of you who don't know, I've been here since 1985. And I'd only planned on staying six months. Who knew?)

In these times, it's important to have public places that allow people to come together and engage on a deeper level than just "buying and selling" and the daily grind. I can honestly say Co-opportunity is one of those places.

Gardens, Gardens Everywhere

2009-05-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

The "100 Garden Challenge" (Gardens of Gratitude) went down this weekend and was capped off with a potluck and party in the Learning Garden at Venice High School last night. I had a great time sitting in on guitar with The Shoeflies, an acoustic bluegrass/country/folk band from the Venice canals. It was a fitting musical style to end a weekend of digging in the dirt and getting back to the land. Sean Jennings, the event's organizer and "Head Farmer" (my title), said about 200 volunteers helped with over 40 gardens. And there were roughly 100 gardens signed up for the event. So some people signed up in solidarity and worked on their own gardens; and some were helped by a large volunteer pool of folks who helped out where needed. Sean (who looked very sundried and tired Sunday night) drove around over the weekend to about 15 different gardens and helped out.

Last night's event featured a potluck and some good old-fashioned socializing, conversation and music. One highlight was the chance to stroll through the Learning Garden and experience what a true diverse urban garden looks like. There were rows upon rows of all sorts of vegetables, herbs, flowers, grains and fruit trees, including: corn, wheat, apple and peach trees, cabbage, kale, beets, carrots, strawberries, sunflowers, lettuce, brussel sprouts and more.

Standing in the garden at sunset and taking in all that nature while watching a stream of cars hurry by on Venice Blvd was quite an experience. Here I was in this space of incredible peace and beauty and less than 100 feet away was nothing but concrete and steel. I was amazed at the variety, beauty and bounty of this humble little plot of land on the corner of Venice Blvd. and Walgrove. It simply and elegantly proves the beauty and power of nature and how it will provide for us if we work with it and follow some basic principles.

For more info on The Learning Garden, visit their website:
www.thelearninggarden.org

Plastic Soup

2009-05-14T15:31:00.000-07:00

Here's some fun facts: There's a huge swath of Pacific Ocean, the size of Texas, with over 3.5 million tons of trash floating in it. The plastic to sea life ratio is 6:1. This means there's 6 times more plastic than plankton in the water.

It's called the Pacific Gyre or "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch." It was discovered by Captain Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation in Long Beach.

Here's a few videos documenting this manmade aquatic tragedy.

Let us hear from you. What steps (small or large) will you take to help reverse this unsustainable and destructive process?

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch - Good Morning America

The Dangers of Plastic: Interview with Charles Moore

This website also has a wealth of information on the gyre:
www.greatgarbagepatch.org

Gardens of Gratitude

2009-05-13T02:09:00.000-07:00

There's an amazing event taking place this weekend (5/16 & 17) all over the Westside. It's called the "100 Garden Challenge" or Gardens of Gratitude and we're proud to be one of the sponsors. The goal is to plant 100 edible gardens throughout the Westside. They're planting in backyards, front yards, balconies; simply put, wherever food can grow.

This is a perfect example of people coming together as a community and taking advantage of our ability to provide for ourselves. I encourage you all to log on to the Gardens of Gratitude website and sign up for some digging and planting.
Sure, our co-op sells organic and local produce (and we love it when you buy it!), but what could be more miraculous than growing your own fruits and vegetables, and then eating them straight from your own garden? You'd be surprised at how much you can grow in even a small area. And if you don't have a front or backyard, you can still grow food on your balcony or even indoors. Or, sign up to help with someone else's garden.

We need to exercise our ability and our right to grow our own food. This is a prime example of "acting locally."

For more info and a link to the event website, check out our homepage.

What are you already growing at your home? Let us know.

Welcome to the Daily Compost

2009-05-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

Hello, this is your General Manager, Bruce Palma reporting directly from the compost bin. I'm excited to announce that I'll be taking over posting for our blog. I'll be posting anything that seems fit to share from my own compost heap of information I'm continually gathering from various sources (including my own coffee ground brain).

Here's how the Free Online Dictionary defines compost:
1. A mixture of decaying organic matter, as from leaves and manure, used to improve soil structure and provide nutrients.
2. A composition; a mixture.

So, in the tradition of our previous posts, that's what the Daily Compost blog will be: an organic mixture of info and thoughts on community, the environment, food, health and some demented musings to add a little spice.

And, as we've done in the past, I'll be tossing in a regular stream of info about our co-op as well. Our blog provides an easy way to communicate with our community more frequently than monthly emails or our newsletter. And if I recommend a product, book or DVD from our co-op, I do so because I truly believe it will provide some value to the purchaser. So, yes there might be shameless plugs, but they're high quality plugs.

I highly encourage you to join the conversation and post as well. Toss in your own used coffee grounds or orange rinds of insight. From our conversations, we can begin to create an online community garden. And we can extend our co-op community past the boundaries of our physical store in the process.

So tune in every day for more organic matter.

Weekly Specials

2009-05-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

Weekly specials up on site! Check em: www.coopportunity.com

Aakk! Plastic

2009-05-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag)

Ban Factory Farms Spreading Deadly Flu

2009-04-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

From the Organic Consumers Association:
Despite years of warnings by public interest organizations, such as the Organic Consumers Association and the Humane Society of the U.S., intensive confinement factory farms are incubating deadly viruses that could set off a deadly epidemic.

A dangerous and rapidly spreading strain of influenza, which combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before, has killed over 150 people in Mexico, infecting thousands, and has spread to over a dozen countries, including the United States. President Obama, himself, may have been exposed to the disease, according to the New York Times, given that a Mexican official, Felipe Solis, he met with last week subsequently died with flu-like symptoms.

The World Health Organization warned early this week that the outbreak could reach global pandemic levels. The last major global pandemic, the 1918 flu epidemic, killed 20-50 million people.

Despite company denials, a number of Mexican and U.S. news outlets are pointing to Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, the world's largest pig producer ($12 billion in annual sales), as a likely source of the deadly outbreak. Smithfield sells pork and operates massive hog-raising operations in 40 nations, including Perote, Mexico, in the state of Vera Cruz, where the outbreak originated. For months, local residents and workers in Mexico have complained of pollution, contamination, and illnesses from the Smithfield plant. For years, Smithfield has been criticized in the United States for polluting rural communities, endangering public health, and exploiting workers and farmers.

Factory farms, such as Smithfield, feed pigs massive amounts of antibiotics, resulting in swine incubating and spreading antibiotic-resistant germs. These antibiotic-resistant pathogens are considered a major human health hazard by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Given these serious public health concerns, a number of health and safety organizations have called for limits or a ban on the practice of feeding antibiotics to farm animals, including the American Public Health Association, American Medical Association, Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Contact President Obama and Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack and urge them to:
Immediately ban Confined Animal Feeding Operations (hog, beef, and chicken factory farms) across the United States and end the dangerous practice of feeding antibiotics to farm animals.
Initiate a criminal investigation of Smithfield Foods and other major factory farms.
Learn more and Take Action in OCA's Swine and Bird Flu Center

Asian Noodle Salad with Toasted Sesame Dressing

2009-04-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

Check out this zany video on how to prepare delicious Asian Noodle Salad with Toasted Sesame Dressing.

Yum-yum!

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, Happy Earth Day! Hope you are enjoying the beautiful day! Our weekly specials are up on site. Check them out www.coopportunity.com Don't forget any member-owner who shops today is entered to win our clean a green prize. Our prize over $125 in natural products!

Free ECO EVENT tonight!!!

2009-04-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day Week! Come to our event TONIGHT 7-9 @ SM public library!! Organic Home Gardening and Permaculture.
Come meet the Dervaes Family!

Details:
FREE EVENT!!
Monday, April 20
@ the Santa Monica Public Library MLK Jr Auditorium
7:00pm-9:00pm

Interested in Permaculture? Meet the Urban Homesteaders!
Since the mid '80s, Jules Dervaes and his son and daughters have steadily worked away at transforming an ordinary city lot in Pasadena, California into an integral urban homestead. Come see a screening of their short documentary, meet and greet the eco-pioneers! Check them out at www.pathtofreedom.com!

Eating on a Budget

2009-04-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

Epicurious, an awesome resource for all things recipe related, has put together a really great list of 35 Easy Ways to Stretch Your Food Dollars. Good tips. It includes earth friendly tips like buying more local produce and bringing your own reusable grocery bags. Sage and handy advice. Check it:
www.epicurious.com

I'd also like to add a few related to the co-op which is to take advantage of our awesome bulk section and our case discounts. Also, don't forget through April and May you can purchase coupon book items and receive automatic savings at the register, no limits on quantities. We do the work for you and cut out all the coupons! Coupon book items have shelf signs as well. Our new book has great deals on 50 quality items!

Styro

2009-04-15T15:57:00.000-07:00

From Environment California:

Have you ever been at the beach and noticed all the tiny pieces of Styrofoam in the sand?

Or, have you ever worked to clean up a beach only to realize that nothing you could ever do would remove all those little pieces of Styrofoam? That's why we need to ban single-use Styrofoam containers today.

Join the 7,000 people who have called on the governor to take action.

Why not just ask the fast-food chains to use bio-degradable takeout containers? It just seems crazy that we would use something for 10 minutes and then have it float in the ocean, or lie in the sand, for hundreds and hundreds of years.

The benefits simply do not outweigh the costs.

Styrofoam (expanded and extruded polystyrene foam) is getting more and more pervasive in the marine environment. When littered or blown from trashcans, it is carried from streets and through storm drains out to the ocean. It breaks into smaller and smaller pieces that wash onto the shore, and which animals mistake for food.

Styrofoam has not been around long enough to know its true life. Most scientists agree that it will break down into increasingly smaller pieces but never disappear.

Let's ban single-use Styrofoam takeout containers before they cause any more damage. Click on the link below to tell the governor that you want to take back your beaches. And please, forward this e-mail to your family and friends.

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/action/oceans/say-no-to-styro?id4=ES

Thanks for standing up for our beaches!

More Vandana Shiva

2009-04-09T14:02:00.000-07:00

I posted about listening to Vandana Shiva speak at the Natural Products Epxo last month. Check out the post here. There are two really great articles that go into her works some more.

Check out:
www.organicconsumers.org
"In Hindi, seed is bija or "containment of life." "Seed is created to renew, to multiply, to be shared, and to spread. Seed is life itself," Ms. Shiva said. Corporations such as Monsanto have reduced seed to private property..."

www.urbanitebaltimore.com
"I feel that the combination of climate change, peak oil, and the financial collapse provides an opportunity for us to build economies of place that will shift not just from oil to soil, but it will shift from financial capital to people as the real wealth—people as both the generators of wealth as well as wealth of communities. If we can get there, we will have a future. If we can’t get there, we will see more and more conflicts emerge around the world in conditions of new scarcity."

Celebrate Earth Day week with the co-op - Upcoming Event!

2009-04-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

Check out the Dervaes family at www.PathtoFreedom.com!

It's Big 10 TUESDAY!!

2009-04-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

Come in today and save 10%

100th Post! Only one more day until Big 10 TUESDAY!!

2009-04-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

Get ready for some great savings!! Calling all co-op owners - Come into the store tomorrow for 10% off!!

One day SALE owners get 10% OFF

2009-04-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

Spring is officially here and we're springing into April with some exciting announcements. To help with the economic blues, we're turning next Tuesday (4/7) into "BIG 10 TUESDAY" and giving owners 10% off on all purchases-no limit on savings. This is a one-day event and will be subject to stock on-hand. But we're making sure the store is packed with products on that day. This is not a MAD month-this is just another way of saying thank you to our owners. And providing some extra savings.
Subject to in-store availability
While supplies last
No rain checks
One day only

Also, it's coupon book time! Through April and May you can purchase coupon book items and receive automatic savings at the register, no limits on quantities. We do the work for you and cut out all the coupons! Coupon book items have shelf signs as well. Our new book has great deals on 50 quality items throughout the store.

Water usage!

2009-03-20T11:48:00.001-07:00

The good folks down at GOOD Magazine have put together a neat little illustrated chart on Water Usage in your everyday life. It's separated into not so good choices and better choices.

"As we become more and more aware that we may be using water at an unsustainable pace, the idea of water footprints-the amount of water an individual uses-is becoming more common. Water footprints can be hard to calculate, depending on how far up the chain of production you go, since everything you eat and buy used some water to produce (to feed cows for beef, for example, or to use in the factory that made your cell phone)."

Click the below image to visit their site.

http://www.good.is/?p=16356

Weekly Specials!

2009-03-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

Weekly Specials are up on site, get them while they are hot!! Check them out - Vitamins, Dish soap & Pears - Oh my! And much, much more. Check back every week for new specials:
http://www.coopportunity.com/co_opComp/pages/products/weekly_specials.html

First Garden!

2009-03-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

Awesome news. The First Family is going to plant a white house veggie garden!

From ABC news blog:

ABC News' Brian Hartman Reports: President Obama's latest shovel-ready project is close to home -- in fact, right in his own yard. In an effort to promote healthy eating, the first family will be planting a vegetable garden right on the White House grounds.

ABC News' Ann Compton and Sunlen Miller report that the new White House vegetable garden will be dug up and planted on the South grounds of the White House -- near the fountain but out of view of the main house.

Though the 16-acre complex is maintained by the National Park Service, one worker who preferred to remain anonymous assured ABC News that National Park Service staff won't do the sowing and planting. The White House residence staff will handle that.

As first reported online by food writer Eddie Gehman Kohan, who reports on food issues related to the Obamas, First Lady Michelle Obama told Oprah Winfrey's "O" magazine, "We're...working on a wonderful new garden project."

In the April issue of the magazine, Mrs. Obama tells Winfrey, "We want to use it as a point of education, to talk about health and how delicious it is to eat fresh food, and how you can take that food and make it part of a healthy diet."

A variety of organic food and sustainable agriculture advocates have been pressing the Obamas to plant such a garden.

H.R. 875

2009-03-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

The National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA) has done some research on H.R. 875 and the following is what they had to say.

The dilemma of how to regulate food safety in a way that prevents problems caused by industrialized agriculture but doesn't wipe out small diversified farms is not new and is not easily solved. And as almost constant food safety problems reveals the dirty truth about the way much of our food is produced, processed, and distributed, it's a dilemma we need to have serious discussion about.

Most consumers never thought they had to worry about peanut butter and this latest food safety scandal has captured public attention for good reason - a CEO who knowingly shipped contaminated food, a plant with holes in the roof and serious pest problems, and years of state and federal regulators failing to intervene.

It's no surprise that Congress is under pressure to act and multiple food safety bills have been introduced.

Two of the bills are about traceability for food (S.425 and H.R. 814). These present real issues for small producers who could be forced to bear the cost of expensive tracking technology and recordkeeping.

The other bills address what FDA can do to regulate food.

A lot of attention has been focused on a bill introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (H.R. 875), the Food Safety Modernization Act. And a lot of what is being said about the bill is misleading.

Here are a few things that H.R. 875 DOES do:

- It addresses the most critical flaw in the structure of FDA by splitting it into 2 new agencies - one devoted to food safety and the other devoted to drugs and medical devices.
- It increases inspection of food processing plants, basing the frequency of inspection on the risk of the product being produced - but it does NOT make plants pay any registration fees or user fees.
- It does extend food safety agency authority to food production on farms, requiring farms to write a food safety plan and consider the critical points on that farm where food safety problems are likely to occur.
- It requires imported food to meet the same standards as food produced in the U.S.

And just as importantly, here are a few things that H.R. 875 does NOT do:

- It does not cover foods regulated by the USDA (beef, pork, poultry, lamb, catfish.)
- It does not establish a mandatory animal identification system.
- It does not regulate backyard gardens.
- It does not regulate seed.
- It does not call for new regulations for farmers markets or direct marketing arrangements.
- It does not apply to food that does not enter interstate commerce (food that is sold across state lines).
- It does not mandate any specific type of traceability for FDA-regulated foods (the bill does instruct a new food safety agency to improve traceability of foods, but specifically says that recordkeeping can be done electronically or on paper.)

Several of the things not found in the DeLauro can be found in other bills - like H.R. 814, the Tracing and Recalling Agricultural Contamination Everywhere Act, which calls for a mandatory animal identification system, or H.R. 759, the Food And Drug Administration Globalization Act, which overhauls the entire structure of FDA. H.R. 759 is more likely to move through Congress than H.R. 875. And H.R. 759 contains several provisions that could cause problems for small farms and food processors:

- It extends traceability recordkeeping requirements that currently apply only to food processors to farms and restaurants - and requires that recordkeeping be done electronically.
- It calls for standard lot numbers to be used in food production.
- It requires food processing plants to pay a registration fee to FDA to fund the agency's inspection efforts.
- It instructs FDA to establish production standards for fruits and vegetables and to establish Good Agricultural Practices for produce.

There is plenty of evidence that one-size-fits-all regulation only tends to work for one size of agriculture - the largest industrialized operations. That's why it is important to let members of Congress know how food safety proposals will impact the conservation, organic, and sustainable practices that make diversified, organic, and direct market producers different from agribusiness. And the work doesn't stop there - if Congress passes any of these bills, the FDA will have to develop rules and regulations to implement the law, a process that we can't afford to ignore.

But simply shooting down any attempt to fix our broken food safety system is not an approach that works for consumers, who are faced with a food supply that is putting them at risk and regulators who lack the authority to do much about it.

You can read the full text of any of these bills at http://thomas.loc.gov.

If you'd like to send a message to your representative about how you feel or for more information please visit www.organicconsumers.org or http://capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/issues/alert/?alertid=12878056

Happy Monday!

2009-03-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a little fun education for your eyeballs. As greenLAgirl put it: "like the Story of Stuff, except less shrill and a lot shorter," I'll add also with a British accent.

Grow your own!

2009-03-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

A little Friday wrap up.

#1 An NPR bit about the Woman's Land Army, an all but forgotten women's movement during World War I. While U.S. servicemen were fighting "over there," American women from all walks of life moved to rural areas to work as farm laborers. Interesting and only about 5 minutes, check it out: www.npr.org.

#2 In bad times, seed sales grow. Even if you only have a little bit of windowsill space, you can grow a pot of herbs. The more space you have the more you can grow! Don't forget that the co-op has certified organic seeds near the bread section to the right as you walk in.

#3 Listen to this: Evan Kleiman had Bill Freese, of the Center for Food Saftey, on her show on March 7th to talk about the FDA's recent approval of irradiation of lettuce and spinach. He brings up serious concerns about the safety of food irradiation. The whole show is good, but the irradiation part starts at about the 28:28 mark.

Bees!

2009-03-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

I follow a local blog called Backwards Beekeepers. It's a bunch of backyard bee keepers right here in Los Angeles. Actually if you have a bee hive you want to have removed they are the people to contact.

Below is a short video on urban bee keeping. Very inspiring, I'm not a beekeeper but I do have a hive in a pepper tree in my yard and I love the idea that all my flowering plants are helping to make bee food!

Every Third Bite from meerkatmedia.org on Vimeo.

EWG Posted a New Dirty Dozen

2009-03-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

The non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) the same good folks that bring us the skin deep website have released a new Shopper's Guide to Pesticides. I'm lucky enough to be able to purchase almost all organic produce, but if you can't, for whatever reason, the EWG's list can really help you make the best choices, to purchase the least amount of pesticides.

EWG analysts have developed the Guide based on data from nearly 87,000 tests for pesticide residues in produce conducted between 2000 and 2007 and collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. You can find a detailed description of the criteria EWG used to develop these rankings and
the complete list of fruits and vegetables tested at their dedicated website, www.foodnews.org.

Wow - Natural Products Expo

2009-03-09T10:49:00.001-07:00

I had the opportunity this past weekend to go down to the Natural Products Expo. A truly amazing experience, not only because of all the amazing new products but also because of the many awesome people I got to meet and talk to.

This weekend reaffirmed yet another reason that makes me feel so proud to work at the co-op: I constantly heard throughout the day so much positive feedback on our store. It seemed like every other person either shopped at the co-op or dealt with us as a vendor and had nothing but encouraging, friendly comments. A few people even named a couple employees as friendly favorites.

The highlight of the show for me was being able to listen to Dr. Vandana Shiva, a world-renowned environmentalist, speak on "Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis". During her talk she spoke about big business and its tendency to try to suppress nature, by trying to take what is natural and attempt to patent it to make a profit. By mapping the seeds they are taking natural and cultural knowledge and trying to claim it as their own. She likened this tendency to colonialism where countries would put a country on the map and claim ownership. Shiva called this acts of "bio-piracy."

In order to combat these larger corporations, through her organization, Navdanya - which means nine seeds, she has preserved crops, plants, traditional knowledge and culture through seed banks, education and activism. Through the sharing of the seeds the organization has collected, they can help areas recover quickly from natural disasters such as flooding and drought. Additionally, by giving the area flood or drought tolerant strains of seeds they can help insure disaster doesn't strike twice. Her organization also hosts classes and educates farmers on best practices. As she put it, natural knowledge should be "open source." Given the knowledge, people have the ability to change, grow, find substitutes for toxins and develop better, alternative systems to the current ones available to us.

Big business has tricked many people into believing that their way - i.e. the way of petrochemicals, genetically modified seeds and industrial agriculture - is the only way that we're going to be able to feed the world. This just isn't true. Industrialized agriculture, by in large, is hugely inefficient, having to put in 10 oil calories to get just 1 food calorie out. Since we are running out of oil, we must think of alternative ways to get our food, we must think of ways to take less and give back more. Only through biodiversity and respect for all life can we survive. As Shiva said, "The more we build the natural economy, the more freedom and democracy we'll have. So let's cultivate the earth, let's cultivate more peace, happiness, and joy together!"

What an inspiration! I'm so glad I was able to hear her speak and I'm also really glad to be part of an organization that is doing its best to help cultivate the community.

Green Beings

2009-03-06T10:36:00.000-08:00

Check out this article Carbon Neutral on a Shoestring. Its about an eco-conscious restoration in Barcelona, Spain, a city that has long prized the new and glossy, amounts to a countercultural effort.

Also... The City of Santa Monica and Sustainable Works are sponsoring an Earthday Poster Contest open to all K-12 aged students who live or attend school in Santa Monica. This year's theme is "My Sustainable Community."

The purpose of this contest is to engage students in sustainability education and action, and to offer them an opportunity to share their vision for a clean, green, healthy community.

Educators are encouraged to schedule an in-class or assembly presentation on sustainability where students will be given the information to inspire contest submissions. Presentations can range from 10-20 minutes and will be adapted to specific K-12 age levels. Spanish language presentations are available.

All students and their families will be invited to an art opening where all students will be recognized for their artistic contributions, posters will be displayed and prizes will be awarded. Selected posters will also be displayed at community events and at traveling exhibits in public sites.

All entries are due by April 2, 2009.

Download the flier at www.sustainablesm.org

For more information please contact Traci Reitz: reitz_traci@smc.edu

Happy Almost Friday!

2009-03-05T12:02:00.000-08:00

In case all of today's sunshine is bringing you down after yesterday's day of rain, here's something that's really going to put a damper on your day. It's an adorable hamster choosing between organic and non-organic foods. See how organic foods stand up to conventional in this super serious, highly scientific experiment.

or: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z8CWdRaQpw

If you're looking for something that is actually serious, check the Mother Jones' March/April food issue, its awash with food opinions. There is a Michael Pollan interview and an in depth article on what the "future of really sustainable agriculture" might look like.

Check it out http://www.motherjones.com/toc/2009/03

How To Green Your Garden: Sustainable SM Class Series

2009-03-04T13:51:00.000-08:00

Everything you wanted to know about greening your garden!

This series of classes is for the Santa Monica gardener that wants to grow a beautiful and sustainable garden. Each class will walk you through a different topic to help make your garden a success and envy of your neighbors.

When:
Classes will be held on the 3rd Saturday of each month from 9:00 to 12:00.

Where:
Santa Monica College, Main Campus

Cost:
$35 per class

Class Scheudle:
March 21 - Plant Palette: Mediterranean Plants
Choosing climate-appropriate plants from the Mediterranean plant palette that offer a variety of colors, textures and fragrance.

April 11 - Water Wise Gardening
I've picked my plants but how and when do I water them? Learn the basics of water wise irrigation.

May 16 - Veggie Gardens 101
Learn how to incorporate edibles into your garden, including raised vegetable beds and planters.

June 20 - Good Bugs, Healthy Plants
Learn which plants attract good bugs and how you can reduce your maintenance and chemical use in the garden.

July 18 - No Sweat Gardening
A "green" garden requires 60% less maintenance. Find out how and when to prune your plants, mulching and composting.

September 19 - Plant Palette: Native Plants
Choosing climate-appropriate plants from our California native plant palette that offer a variety of colors, textures and fragrance.

October 17 - Showers to Flowers
How to use rainwater and graywater to water your garden.

Register:
Online Registration
Telephone Registration: 310.434.3400.

Questions: Russell Ackerman, 310.458.2213; russell.ackerman@smgov.net
For more information about this series, visit www.sustainablesm.org or call (310) 458-8972

Happy Monday!

2009-03-02T13:23:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone enjoyed a great and relaxing weekend.

A couple of co-op news points:
#1 You can find our new monthly sale items on our website here: www.coopportunity.com

#2 You can download the latest version of our newsletter (March/April 2009) on our website as well. See: www.coopportunity.com

In other news, March is National Women's History Month. This year the National Women's History Project is honoring "Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet." Learn more here: http://www.nwhp.org/

Cooperation Makes It Happen!

2009-02-27T17:02:00.000-08:00

They really got a lot right on the "Street" :-) Happy Friday

Dig it!

Your choice of TP really is important

2009-02-27T12:52:00.000-08:00

I used to chuckle when I went to the grocery store at the sheer volume of TP choices. There seems to be every possible variation of recycled content, length, strength and ply available. I used to stare at the wall of glossy packets weighting price over absorbency, amused that I had to actually put thought into what toilet tissue to get.

Well it turns out that our choice of TP really is important. According to the good folks at Greenpeace, TP from made from virgin forests is responsible for untold amounts of environmental devastation.

To read a really good article on this visit www.guardian.co.uk

To learn more about Greenpeace's campaign and to download a pocket guide see www.greenpeace.org

Weekly Specials

2009-02-26T17:52:00.000-08:00

The co-op has a new round of weekly specials good though March 3rd. Check them out!

http://www.coopportunity.com/

Hip, hip...

2009-02-25T15:10:00.000-08:00

HOORAY!!! Celebrate, good times! Kathleen Merrigan, has been chosen to be the deputy agriculture secretary. Why is this cause for celebration? Well, she's known as a champion of organics, she's an academic and a former congressional aide who has helped establish the federal organic food-labeling rules. Let's hope that she will be a positive influence on the USDA to keep organics truly organic.

See the press release here: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/02/0047.xml

Happy Fat Tuesday!

2009-02-24T13:54:00.000-08:00

I'm loving the following article posted on the NY Times website. I'm a big fan of Harold McGee, he takes a close look at food and the science behind cooking. In his article How Much Water Does Pasta Really Need? he takes a look at the amount of water used to cook pasta. He suggests that cooking with less water works just as well as cooking with the standard 6 quarts, plus it saves water and energy!

In the spirit of Mardi Gras, go visit www.epicurious.com, which is a great online resource for all kinds of recipes, and see all the yummy Cajun and Creole inspired dishes they have available. Also you can find a great recipe for Vegetarian Gumbo on one of my favorite food blogs www.101cookbooks.com!

Surprise its Monday!

2009-02-23T16:08:00.000-08:00

Well, really no surprises here at all. There is a suggested link between the number of fast food restaurants in your neighborhood and the likelihood of stoke. Check out the LA Times article on it: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/02/fast-food-resta.html.

Right now I'm listening to KCRW's Good Food, I like to listen to it on the weekends but I've been behind on a few episodes. Check out this really interesting episode; Michael Pollan returns to Good Food to talk about what we can expect in the world of food policy in 2009. Chef Susan Feniger journeys through the wide world of dumplings. The legendary Marcella Hazan shares memories of her very full life, cooking and teaching Italian cuisine. Laura Avery tells us what's fresh at the Farmers' Market. See below.

Happy Friday!

2009-02-20T11:51:00.001-08:00

Alice Waters writes an open letter asking the current administration asking to have the National School Lunch Program reassessed in this New York Times op-ed piece: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/opinion/20waters.html

Also there is a really yummy looking recipe over at Cookus Interruptus called Three Sisters Stew which is a delicious combination of corn, beans and squash. Mmm yummy, hearty and healthy!
http://www.cookusinterruptus.com/index.php?video_id=96

If you're interested in reading about food online, the Times Online has a list of 50 of the world's best food blogs according to their food editor. Many of the blogs look so amazing and could be good resources for recipes and meal ideas! Check it out:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/real_food/article5561425.ece

Have a great weekend!!

Vermicomposting

2009-02-19T12:15:00.000-08:00

Here in Southern California, if you have a yard with a sunny spot you can pretty much compost outside year-round. Composting is a great way to help the environment since after recycling, your trash will most likely be taken up by food waste, if you eat or cook in your home. When that waste goes to the landfill it degrades anaerobically which releases methane gas, which according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is 20 times more harmful to the environment than Carbon Dioxide. By volume, food waste is the #1 contributor to methane gas production. Additionally, disposing of food waste costs the U.S. around $1 billion a year.

So what can you do if you live in an apartment or you just don't have room for a compost heap in your yard? Well, you can always turn to Vermicomposting!

Vermicomposting uses worms (usually Red Wrigglers) to break down your food scraps into beautiful rich earth, which you then can can use as potting soil for your indoor plants or sprinkle on your garden. I recently invested in a worm house, and I've been saving my kitchen scraps waiting on my worms to begin vermicomposting in my own home. Check back here for periodic updates on the worm bin, maybe even with pictures!

In the mean time check out this recent New York Times article on vermicomposting! http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/garden/19worms.html

Weekly Specials!

2009-02-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!! The co-op knows that there are a lot of people out there who are on tight budgets right now. In order to help out, we're starting a new program where the managers of every department are putting select products on weekly specials. Check them out, go to our website www.coopportunity.com and click on the green "Weekly Specials" image! We'll also have them posted up around the store.

You are what you eat!

2009-02-17T11:25:00.000-08:00

Two unrelated but equally interesting articles.

The first, from www.naturalnews.com, giving six compelling reasons why you should eat organic!

The second will appeal more to parents and has some really good advice on how to combat kid's picky eating habits. It comes to us by way of the Wedge in Minneapolis another really awesome co-op! Check it out www.wedge.coop

Low Carbon Diets

2009-02-16T11:41:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, hope you are enjoying the rain and Presidents Day!

There are a couple of articles posted today that deal with lowering your environmental impact with your diets. Check it out!

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iSFzzJTQlFBr3vjq1Nv2wixJXpmA
http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_11711104

Also, check out a calculator to see how your diet affects the environment at http://www.eatlowcarbon.org/

The Co-op is Hiring!

2009-02-13T16:13:00.000-08:00

The co-op isn't just a great place to shop its also an awesome place to work!

Right now the co-op is hiring for a Produce Assistant Manager position. You will be assisting our Produce Manager in ensuring an organized and smoothly-run Produce Department, including ordering, pricing and inventory control. You will also be assisting in motivating produce staff and providing produce staff with all the tools necessary for ensuring the highest level of service possible to our shoppers. As needed, you will assist in obtaining all department objectives for sales, margin and labor.

A good candidate for the position: already possesses some retail experience, a plus if it is in the produce industry; customer service experience; initiative; an ability to work well without supervision; knowledge of natural/organic foods & cooperatives. 40 hours, is willing to work a flexible schedule; evenings and weekends.

Check our website for more info on perks and benefits!

Upcoming Community Events

2009-02-13T13:18:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the co-op has a Community Events page on our website that features local Santa Monica and surrounding area happenings? Well we do, and we even update it every once in a while. Check it out!

www.coopportunity.com

OMG we're so hip!

2009-02-12T15:25:00.000-08:00

Exciting news. Have you ever found that you just need more co-op? Well good news for people who like frequent news because the co-op now has a Twitter page!

Find us at: http://twitter.com/Coopportunity get up to the minute updates.

Does anyone think there is something weird about getting a Twitter account and being so excited that you just had to put it on your blog right away? Talk about the information age...

Tell Mars and Hershey's to sign the Non-GM Beet Sugar Registry

2009-02-12T13:02:00.000-08:00

As a Valentine to Consumers, 73 Companies Pledge Not to Use Sugar from Monsanto's Roundup Ready Sugar Beets - Tell Hershey's and Mars to Sign!

Today the Center for Food Safety, along with environmental and corporate watchdog groups, launched the Non-Genetically Modified (GM) Beet Sugar Registry, documenting commitments from over seventy grocery chains and food producers including Organic Valley not to use or sell GM beet sugar. This call to halt the introduction of GM sugar beets into the food supply comes on the heels of public outcry over mercury contamination of our nation's dominant sweetener - high fructose corn syrup - and on the eve of the year's sweetest holiday - Valentine's Day.

By signing on to the Registry, companies:
* Pledge to not support the introduction of sugar from GM sugar beets;
* Pledge to avoid, wherever possible, using GM beet sugar in their products;
* Pledge to ask the sugar beet industry to not introduce GM beet sugar into our nation's food supply

Companies have rejected GM sugar beets not only because they have not been proven safe but also because the EPA had increased allowable levels of herbicide residues on GM sugar beet roots by up to 5,000 percent when USDA approved the crop for planting. This action was taken at the request of Monsanto, the sole manufacturer of GM Roundup Ready sugar beets. Extracted from the roots of the GM sugar beet plant, this type of sugar will be used in processed food and sold, unlabeled, to consumers beginning this year. The Registry website is a place where people can go to identify and support those companies that choose to publicly renounce the use of GM beet sugar.

In 2001, Hershey's and Mars announced that they would not use GM beet sugar, but both companies have been noticeably silent on the issue ever since. Members like you have sent more than a hundred thousand letters to food companies asking them to publicly refuse to use GM sugar in their products - let's tell Hershey's and M&M Mars to show us the love this year!

Tell Hershey's and Mars to Kiss GM Sugar Goodbye! Send your Valentine to Hershey's and Mars urging the companies to publicly reject the use of GM sugar in their chocolates and other sweets.

To learn more visit truefoodnow.org

To see a list of companies see: www.seedsofdeception.com

Eggs! It's what for dinner...

2009-02-11T18:09:00.000-08:00

If you eat breakfast for dinner that it. Turns out that eating eggs is a-okay, new research has confirmed that limiting egg consumption has little to do with you cholesterol levels. Check it out the article.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7882850.stm?lss

Chocolate Love!

2009-02-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! Just to let you know that we have all kind of delicious organic fair trade and natural Chocolate available here at the store including:

Chocolove - in a variety of flavors

Just $1.69

Happy Tuesday

2009-02-03T16:34:00.000-08:00

Hey check this out! The Green Gadgets Design Competition is underway at www.greenergadgets.com! Go check it out and vote to help them select 10 products for live judging at the Greener Gadgets Conference in New York City on February 27th, 2009. Some really great ideas there...

Love Your Co-op? Show It! NCGA Hosts Nationwide "My Co-op Rocks" Video Contest

2009-02-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

IOWA CITY, IOWA (February 2, 2008) - Lights, camera...arugula! This spring, National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA) invites individuals and groups to submit short, up-to-2-minute videos in the My Co-op Rocks Video Contest, a nationwide contest where co-op fans get to share the reasons their co-op rocks. Submissions will be accepted online beginning March 1 at www.MyCoopRocks.coop with $3,500 in prizes to be awarded to the best videos in "people's choice" and "judges' choice" categories.

My Co-op Rocks Video Contest is NCGA's first contest that asks co-op shoppers across the country to share their favorite co-op moments, memories and stories online. NCGA is hosting the contest in celebration of all the qualities and quirks that make co-ops integral parts of communities.

"No matter the times or economic environment, shoppers remain passionate about co-op grocers and the sense of community that they inspire," said Robynn Shrader, chief executive officer for NCGA. "Everyone loves their local co-op for different reasons; this contest provides an opportunity for shoppers to tell us in their own words."

Whether shooting with a cell phone or in high-definition digital video, all skill levels are welcome to shoot, edit and submit their "Top 10" video or create a video with an original co-op-related theme. Participants are encouraged to unleash their sense of humor and creativity.

Once posted, videos will be viewed and voted on by the general public with prizes awarded to the top three "people's choice" entries. A panel of judges will also score entries based on creativity, theme, and overall appeal, with prizes awarded to the top three "judges' choice" entries. The deadline for submissions and online voting is 11:59 p.m. CST on April 17.

Suggested themes include:

* Top 10 reasons I love my co-op
* Top 10 foods at the co-op
* Top 10 funniest sights at my co-op
* Top 10 ways to get a date at the co-op
* Top 10 reasons to become a co-op member
* Top 10 reasons why shopping at a co-op is just better

Prizes to be awarded include MacBooks, $500 gift cards to an NCGA member co-op, and digital video cameras.

For the official rules or to enter the contest, visit www.MyCoopRocks.coop.

About NCGA
National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA), founded in 1999, is a business services cooperative for consumer-owned food co-ops located throughout the United States. NCGA is owned by 111 food co-ops operating more than 130 stores in 32 states with combined annual sales of over $1 billion. NCGA helps unify natural food co-ops in order to optimize operational and marketing resources, strengthen purchasing power, and ultimately offer more value to natural food co-op shoppers everywhere. For a map of co-op member locations, visit www.ncga.coop/member-stores. To learn more about NCGA, click here. To learn more about co-ops visit www.go.coop.

USDA Gives Preliminary Approval to New Pesticide-Promoting GE Corn Variety

2009-02-02T12:19:00.000-08:00

From the Center for Food Safety: "USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has given preliminary approval to the first of a new generation of pesticide-promoting, genetically engineered crops designed to survive spraying with multiple herbicides. This GE corn variety was developed by DuPont subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International to tolerate applications of glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) and acetolactate synthase-inhibiting herbicides (ALS inhibitors). This latest petition to deregulate a new, untested, and complex GE crop poses food safety, environmental, and agronomic concerns that were not adequately evaluated by the Bush Administration's USDA."

To read more about this and to take action please visit the Center for Food Safety website at: http://ga3.org/campaign/PioneerCorn

The latest on High Fructose Corn Syrup

2009-01-29T12:27:00.000-08:00

As if you needed another reason not to eat High Fructose Corn Syrup, recently release report from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a think-tank in Minneapolis, that "Mercury was found in nearly 50 percent of tested samples of commercial high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)..." Read all about it on their website http://www.iatp.org/iatp/press.cfm?refID=105025

Change the World by Changing the way you Eat!

2009-01-28T15:20:00.000-08:00

Mark Bittman is out promoting his new book "Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating." He stopped by NPR about a week ago to talk about food, the environment, and cutting back on animal products to make a positive impact on your health and the environment. It's an interesting talk, and also there are three breakfast recipes at the bottom of the page. Check it out!

Make your own recycled Mini Greenhouse

2009-01-28T15:10:00.000-08:00

This is such a good idea you can make your own Mini Greenhouse for sprouting your garden seeds indoors. If you're a fan of the co-op's roasted chicken this is a perfect little project to reuse the container once you've eaten the chicken! Check it out at www.instructables.com

Eat Local!

2009-01-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

Hey Check this out! As you know the co-op does it best to provide as much local produce as possible. In case you were wondering what is grow around us in this season check out the Natural Resources Defense Council's site then come on in for a locally grown fruit or veggie! The rest of their site is pretty informative as well.

Peanut Butter Product Recalls

2009-01-26T11:42:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in up-to-date information on what peanut butter products are being recalled please see this page: www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm.

Organic Beds

2009-01-15T08:14:00.000-08:00

If you're in the market for organic bedding this is an interesting New York Times article to check out. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/garden/15mattress.html?ref=garden

Eat Local

2009-01-14T18:17:00.000-08:00

All the more reason to support small local farmers and producers. Rueters reported today that the USDA cannot guarantee that animals coming from overseas are not genetically engineered (i.e. GMOs) AND "Its policy for GMO crops, though adequate now, could become outdated as other nations boost production of their own GMO crops, the report added."

Read the rest here: http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNewsMolt/idUKTRE50D5ZD20090114

Safe the Seafood

2009-01-12T18:41:00.000-08:00

FYI: 2009 Pocket Guides Available Now!

Check it out: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx

Happy Monday!

2009-01-12T17:18:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting article on Food Safety in the New York Times.
link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/business/11feed.html

Also if you're looking for a hearty but healthy vegetarian meal I can recommend the below recipe for lentil soup. It was so delicious I pretty much followed the recipe except I cooked it for a bit longer and then skipped the blending stage (who wants to clean another dish, not me) also the optional vinegar really perks up the dish. Add a salad and some bread yum, Yum! Also would make an awesome, if a bit runny, side dish.
link: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/French-Lentil-Soup-236772

Happy Friday!

2009-01-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

This weekend if you're feeling the chill of the Southern California winter, you can indulge in some delicious homemade soups. I found this list of recipes on the Times site. Check out 10 super seasonal soup recipes here (link takes you to Times site), hope you enjoy. If you make any of them feel free to come back and post a comment on how it worked for you!!

Have a happy weekend!